The Campbells of the ark : men of Argyll in 1745 Volume 2 : the outer circle

Black, Ronald2016

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Summary

In his long poem An Airce (The Ark), the Jacobite poet Alexander MacDonald shows the Campbells being subjected to trial by water for the part they played in defeating Prince Charles' army in 1745-6. Some will be drowned outright, he says, some just given a good ducking - and some will be honourably treated. He names thirty-nine individuals. Ronald Black puts their lives and deeds under the microscope to see how far they deserved their allotted fate. The result is a well-balanced portrait of the leading men of Argyll in the 18th century and a new perspective on one of the most colourful episodes in Scottish history: the rising of the '45 as seen through the eyes of Highlanders who helped crush it. Volume 2 presents the eight 'Campbells of the Ark' whose surname was not Campbell, followed by chapters pursuing the identity of Campbells mentioned in other Gaelic poems by MacDonald, especially the mysterious 'Black Campbell' who turns out to have been a zealous Catholic priest. The main emphasis is on a detailed study of the 63 local companies of the Argyllshire Militia of 1745-6, covering every corner of this fascinating county from Kintyre to Ardnamurchan, from Islay to Glenorchy.